Directed by New World School of the Arts theatre faculty, Jennifer de Castroverde, the NWSA college acting program – with a cast of 17 students – will present the profound award-winning play by Karen Zacarías, Mariela in the Desert. Set in the northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela in the Desert is a deadly mystery – a layered honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to wither away. Mariela and José were once the golden couple of the Mexican artists’ inner circle. Together they built a family and an artist colony to host friends Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. But now their daughter has grown up and run away, their friends are too famous to call, and artistic inspiration has been strangled by isolation and lies.
“Mariela in the Desert tells the story of a family trapped in endless grief, weighed down by guilt and silence,” explained college acting student Elizabeth Gonzalez, starring as Mariela. “They’ve lost each other because they’ve never dared to speak the truth, the what, and the why. The play explores how – by finally facing what really happened – each character reaches a moment of release. It’s a story where the weight of shame must be set on fire – and from those ashes healing is born.”
This NWSA theatrical performance will offer a pre-show experience inside the Koubek Center’s historic mansion to deepen the audience’s immersion into the play, director de Castroverde explained. “We created an experience that serves as a passage into the play’s world. Inspired by the journey Mariela herself makes – from the thriving artistic scene of Mexico City to the desolate desert home – this pre-show element invites the audience into the same spiritual migration. Through sensory details – fragments of sound, image, and environment – we evoke the nostalgia and melancholy of the life Mariela and José once dreamed of, contrasting it with the stark, still existence they now inhabit.
“Theatrically, this prelude becomes a kind of ritual, preparing the audience for the pilgrimage they are about to take. I hope Mariela in the Desert offers a meditation on absolution – the slow, painful shedding of regret, the stripping down of ego, and the bare, fragile hope for grace.”
Jennifer de Castroverde
“In Mariela’s journey, we witness the human longing to be seen, forgiven, and remembered – not only by others but by oneself. It is my hope that this production allows audiences to feel the weight of that yearning and to recognize, in Mariela’s redemption, a reflection of their own,” concluded de Castroverde.
About the process of understanding his character ‘José’, Matthew Ferro – also in the college acting track, noted, “One thing I’m learning in Mariela in the Desert is that sometimes I think a character must be feeling a certain emotion during a specific moment in the play. But, by doing that – by automatically saying the character is ‘happy’ here and ‘sad’ here – I block myself from the possibility that the character’s emotions are much more complicated than that. It takes away from how deep the character is, how complicated the story is, and how amazing the writer, Karen Zacarías, is.”
Acting and musical theatre students at NWSA hone their craft through acting technique, movement, and speech classes, focusing on fundamentals of physical and emotional preparation. With performance at its core, training is based on the classical texts and the principles of drama as well as practical incursions into the contemporary and experimental edges of theatre. Consequently, alumni are found performing onstage nationally and internationally and their talent and vision are recognized and highly regarded in the industry. Information about the NWSA theater division at 305-237-3260. 2024-2025 Theatre Season Scheduled Events.
A Florida center of excellence in the visual and performing arts, New World School of the Arts is an educational partnership of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College, and University of Florida. NWSA provides a comprehensive program of artistic, creative, and academic development through a curriculum that reflects our community and the rich multicultural state of Florida. Through our partners NWSA confers the high school diploma, Associate of Arts degree, and Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees in programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, Music, Theater and Art & Design. NWSA’s rigorous eight-year curriculum and conservatory-style teaching has empowered students in our community and our nation to become leaders in the arts for more three decades. Information about New World School of the Arts at 305-237-3135 or nwsa.mdc.edu.
MARIELA IN THE DESERT
April 24, 25, 26; 7:30 PM
April 26; 2:00 PM
Koubek Memorial Center
2705 SW 3 Street, Miami
General admission $12. Students and seniors $5